Joint Union Asbestos Committee (JUAC) launches new campaign website to remove asbestos in schools
The Joint Union Asbestos Committee has marked Clean Air Day 2021 with the launch of a new campaigning website.
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on children and young people cannot be overstated. As schools continue to support pupils’ return, it is critical that we can ensure that children and young people are able to return to a safe, clean and healthy environment where they can learn and play safely.
Yet we know this isn’t always the case – some twenty years on from the full ban on asbestos in construction, its presence in many older school buildings remains a national problem, with the latest DfE figures estimating that 83.5% of schools in England contain asbestos, in some shape or form.
Much of the school estate is old and in a deteriorating condition, this makes it even harder to avoid asbestos fibres from being released.
According to figures from the ONS, since 2001 at least 305 teaching and education professionals have died of mesothelioma, a cancer almost exclusively caused by asbestos. Whilst there are not official figures for children and young people, we know they are more vulnerable to asbestos exposure, in part due to the increased life expectancy of children compared to adults, and the long latency period of the disease.
Given the very real risk, significant and urgent Government investment is needed to fund its phased removal from all school buildings, starting with the most dangerous first. This is the only way to ensure the safety of school staff and pupils.
The JUAC campaign is calling for:
- An independent review of the Government’s current policy of managing asbestos in-situ instead of removing it.
- A funded programme for the phased removal of all asbestos starting with the most dangerous, with completion no later than 2028.
- A Government audit which collects and shares data centrally on the extent, type and condition of asbestos in all educational establishments.
- Support for duty holders by providing funded mandatory training, and adequate support and funding from the Government for asbestos management and removal.
- Proactive inspections by HSE to ensure that educational establishments are managing asbestos effectively.
- The Government, in line with commitments made by the Government in the 2015 Asbestos Policy Review, to prioritise the development of school specific risk assessments, asbestos air tests and environmental levels which take into account the vulnerability of children to asbestos exposure.
Tackling asbestos in schools must be made “an urgent priority” and considered as part of the wider air pollution campaigning work.
John McClean, Chair of JUAC, said:
“The continuing presence of asbestos in so many of our schools is a disgrace, when the risks to children and adults are so well known. Effective Government action to tackle this is long overdue. A phased programme of removal, starting with the most dangerous first, is the only way forward.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said:
“The impact of the pandemic on children has been huge; we need to do everything we can to make sure we safeguard their futures. One vital way of doing that is to ensure they return to a safe, clean and healthy school environment where they can learn, play and thrive. With asbestos in the majority of schools that isn’t guaranteed. We’d urge the government to invest in safe school buildings just as they invest in recovery.”
Read more here.
Get Started with Casa Environmental Services
Here at Casa Environmental Services, we specialise in providing UKAS accredited asbestos surveying and analytical services throughout the UK. If you suspect your school contains asbestos, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with a member of our team today. We have all the knowledge, equipment and expertise needed to not only identify asbestos, but also safely manage it, whether that be through encapsulation, removal or decontamination.
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